(1) Field of the Invention
This invention relates to use of specifically prepared amorphous synthetic siliceous materials, as catalysts in hydrogenation-dehydrogenation of suitable chemical feedstock. Such feedstock for hydrogenation may be any unsaturated hydrocarbons of from 2 to about 30 carbon atoms, e.g. isobutene; or organic compounds containing carbonyl groups and having from 1 to about 30 carbon atoms, e.g. aldehydes and ketones. Such feedstock for dehydrogenation may be any saturated or partially unsaturated hydrocarbons, especially paraffins of from 2 to about 30 carbon atoms, olefins of from 2 to about 30 carbon atoms or naphthenes of from 5 to about 30 carbon atoms; or alcohols of from 1 to about 30 carbon atoms.
(2) Description of the Prior Art
U.S. Pat. No. 2,441,214 discloses a hydrocarbon conversion catalyst prepared by reacting an aluminum, magnesium or zirconium compound, such as AlCl.sub.3, with dehydration product of a silanol or siloxane polymer R.sub.3 SiOSiR.sub.3, ##STR2## R being alkyl, aryl or aralkyl, to produce a metal complex, precipitating in water plus base (NH.sub.4 OH), water-washing and drying. In one example, the product was calcined for 3 hours at 500.degree. C. This procedure is not the same as that utilized in the present invention, and it results in loss of silicon values with lower surface area and fewer small pores than desirable.
U.S. Pat. No. 2,483,963 discloses the hydrolysis of organochlorosilanes to produce organosiloxanes. The process involves introducing liquid silane into the upper end of a silane-water vapor contact zone and removing a condensed siloxane. The amount of water used is in excess of that necessary to hydrolyze the silane. The trichloro, RSiCl.sub.3, in which R is alkyl or aryl, is either not used at all or used in a restricted amount so that in the formula RnSiCl.sub.4-n, n is at least 1.7.
In U.S. Pat. No. 2,722,504 is disclosed a catalyst material having components of an activated silica or alumina, an oxide or sulfide of certain transition metals and an organophilic silicone coating formed by (1) adsorbing onto the activated surface of the first component a silane monomer of the formula ##STR3## wherein X is a hydrolyzable group, R.sub.1 is non-hydrolyzable and R.sub.2 and R.sub.3 may each be hydrolyzable or not, (2) hydrolyzing the monomer, then (3) heating the combined materials at 800.degree. F. to 1200.degree. F. to dry; the second metal component is added by impregnation, or alternatively is added with the silane monomer.
In U.S. Pat. No. 3,661,770 there is disclosed a method of preparing a catalyst by using a chlorosilane compound, SiX.sub.4, at least one of the X's being chlorine and the others hydrogen, methyl, ethyl, methoxy and ethoxy with a Group VIII metal-alumina composite at a temperature of 500.degree. F. to 900.degree. F. The composite is the catalyst and the silane is an activating agent.